blueberry1

Sorry for the slow reply, ohwoodeye. The end caps are dovetailed and the longer angled support panels are through mortise and tenon. I used loose tenons (as opposed to integral tenons) to simplify the build process.

Kudos to Strother Purdy for his winning design! The craftsmanship on it is superb. I was flattered to be a finalist and Taunton Press has my permission to award the prize and recognition to Mr. Purdy, who rightly earned it.

Holy guacamole, that's some seriosly pretty figure. Nice turn.

Wow, I really like this design! Nice work.

Super cool! Do you have a picture of the glued up blank? That was in itself a nice piece of woodworking I'm sure. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Pinebark, I appreciate your kind words. I'm glad you like the form, but this piece was designed almost 100% from a function first perspective. I started out to make rectangular bookcase. I began to measure all my books to figure out the optimal shelf spacing to house them and I lost patience with the process. I figured there had to be a lazier way to design this, so I measured only the smallest book and the largest book.

I knew if I sloped the shelves along the angle of largest to smallest over an arms length board, tossed in a 90 degree angle for the corner where the books go, the rest of the design would fall out of that. I found the stacking to be most intriguing with a little bit of cantilever, which was my only artistic flair.

If you want a power saw first and want to work in solid woods, I'd go with the bandsaw because it can safely cut unsquared wood. Ultimately, I agree with msdr, you need a few machines to really get started and enjoy the process.

I really like this design! Very compelling.

I haven't done this with finger joints, but I think that would greatly simplify the production process for a one man shop like mine (and still look really good). A CNC solution would really make this piece more affordable!

I searched for a picture of the jig, as I used to have one, but I can't find it. It is nothing fancy. I used a beefy telescoping pole from a paint roller set that was cobbled to a garage door wheel. This hung from a 2x4 that was hung a few feet above the table saw and aligned with the blade. I then tethered the telescoping pole in 4 directions to provide stability. After each cove, I would then slide the jig down the 2x4 and re-tether.

Could you talk about your joinery on the legs and seat back to seat? I'm hoping it has something sneaky to add strength! Cool look.

The sculpted top is a circular cove cut on the table saw. To do this cut on a rectangular piece I built an upside down lazy susan like jig that allowed me to raise and lower the piece above the blade and rotate the piece from a stable pivot point.

Thank you for your kind words. I've done this design with a couple different versions of joinery and as a slatwork knockdown. All of them difficult to make at a low price point! But I keep trying to find new angles to make it more affordable. We are currently working on a version at the Red Rocks School of Fine Woodworking that will be 100% made from thin scraps headed for the trash.

As for the doors, that might make an interesting add on! Keep in mind that they'd be a little funky because you'd want to hinge them on the short side (or the bottom door would open into the floor). Thanks again!

Beautiful lines! I love the flow of the side panels.

Excellent design, in particular I love the utility and aesthetics of the drawer pulls. Did you cove cut the drawer handle relief areas with a small blade on your table saw? Bandsaw and spindle sander? Drill press? They align beautifully however you did it!

I'd have liked to have seen half blind dovetails on the drawers, but that's my only constructive criticism. This design kicks ass!

You can cut them by hand, but given the number of joints on this piece I chose to modify a router jig to allow me to clamp stock in at a 7 degree angle off the normal 90 degree position. It was a Leigh jig and the instruction manual covers how to do this.